Seeds Suffer On Super 8 Opening Day

Seeds suffered in both events on the opening day of action in the AJ Bell England Squash Super 8 at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

The day started off with a bang as George Parker beat Richie Fallows in a tense five-game battle. It was Fallows who started the stronger of the two taking the first and third games, however Parker asserted himself later in the match, taking the final two games to secure the victory 6-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6, 11-5 in 69 minutes.

In the first match of the women's draw Lucy Beecroft took a surprise victory over Jasmine Hutton, the world No.43. After losing the first game, Beecroft - ranked almost 300 places lower - recovered in emphatic fashion to take the next three games to secure a shock 8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-7 victory.

In the second game of men's group A, top seed Declan James survived an early scare to beat Charlie Lee by three games to one. The 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 win leaves James on top of Group A at the end of the first day.

AJ Bell England Squash Championship winner Sarah-Jane Perry, favourite in the women's event, started her tournament in convincing fashion with a 3/0 win over Julianne Courtice. The 12-10, 11-5, 11-4 victory leaves her top of the women's Group A.

In the first match of the men's group B, Patrick Rooney got off to a fine start, beating Joshua Masters in three games. Masters made it difficult for Rooney at times, but Rooney showed a clinical edge to see out the match 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 and boost his chances of making Friday's final.

In the women's group B opener, Lucy Turmel started her week with a straight games win over Anna Kimberley. Turmel controlled the pace of all three games and set herself up nicely for her remaining matches in the group.

In the penultimate match of the day, Nick Wall scored an impressive upset victory over Daryl Selby, winning the match three games to one. Having already beaten James Willstrop in the AJ Bell England Squash Championships back in February, Wall added second seed Selby to a growing list of impressive victories on his resume.

In the final match of the day Georgina Kennedy produced an upset against second seed Alison Waters. After losing the first game, Kennedy stormed back to win 3-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2 and is now looking in a strong position to qualify for Friday's final.